When the weekend forecast said "rain," we said "Friday it is!" Our volunteers adapted quickly, showing up with scopes in hand like it was all part of the plan. The skies cooperated, and we were treated to stunning views of the Moon, Saturn, double stars like Albireo, Almach, and the Double-Double, along with a few deep-sky gems. Not a bad way to dodge the rain!
By the time of our “official” 7:30pm start, we already had around 10 telescopes set up on the heath. It was quieter than last week, no doubt due to the last-minute change, but our visitors stayed longer and were more engaged. This mirrors what we saw at quieter solar viewing events during the summer - people seem more inclined to stay and chat when we have time to reciprocate.
The evening kicked off with a beautiful overhead pass of the International Space Station. The Sun was just below the horizon, so we had a clear view as the ISS arced across the sky from west to east, only disappearing from sight about 10-15 degrees above the eastern horizon. It was a spectacular start to what turned out to be a great evening of observing.
Our first targets were in and around the Summer Triangle. My smart scope locked onto the Dumbbell Nebula, always a crowd-pleaser, while others went after Albireo, a stunning visual treat through any telescope.
Next up was Saturn. The rings seemed even shallower than last week, though my planetarium app confirmed that wasn’t the case. Perhaps the slight high haze, which thickened later, caused this illusion. Still, it was a lovely sight through telescopes, especially Mark’s, Eddie’s, and Alec’s refractors. Tej’s 8-inch SCT gave a high-magnification view, but as is often the case with high magnification, the image wasn’t as sharp - still, a treat for Saturn fans.
I hadn’t planned for the Moon to be a big target this week, as it had been the star of last week’s show and was rising much later. But with the event moved forward to Friday, the Moon appeared around 7:50pm, low in the east-north-east, and glowing deep red. Eddie snapped a beautiful hand-held shot through his scope, capturing its colour perfectly.
A couple of passers-by asked why the Moon was red. I explained the light was passing through more of the Earth’s atmosphere, scattering the shorter blue wavelengths and leaving us with the reddish hue. They didn’t glaze over, so I’ll take that as a win!
The Moon quickly became the centre of attention. High-magnification views along the terminator revealed stunning craters near Mare Crisium, and soon we were all consulting our apps to name the features we were observing. Alec’s scope offered my favourite lunar view of the night, as we passed around the eyepiece and cross-referenced maps to identify what we were seeing.
Mark, ever the explorer, left the Moon to go double-star hunting, with Tony joining in with his binoculars. Albireo was a hit, sparking a debate about the best-looking double star in the sky. Almach (Gamma Andromedae) won the contest, offering a stunning view. But it also started a lively debate about its star colours. I saw yellow-orange and blue, while others reported everything from purple to white. We suspect the hazy cloud and Moon glow played tricks on our eyes, but the discussion was half the fun!
We were delighted to welcome back Ahmed, one of our regular visitors from a few years ago, who slotted back in as if he’d never left. We also had the pleasure of meeting a new volunteer, Ritesh. We hope to see you at many more events, Ritesh - it was great to chat about the night sky with you!
Tim’s Seestar smart scope, unfortunately, had technical issues and became a “brick-on-a-stick.” Without visual backup, these smart scopes are out of commission when they fail, but Tim remained undeterred, chatting with visitors and helping other volunteers.
My smart scope held up, providing nice views of the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) and the Hercules Globular Cluster (M13). I also had a small 5-inch Dobsonian with me, which gave lovely views of the Moon. Richard also had some trouble with his smart scope but had his short-tube refractor as a visual backup, which worked really well.
The predicted cloud started to roll in at around 9:30pm, officially ending the observing session. However, many of us stayed behind, chatting and trying to find gaps in the cloud for more observations. Tej attempted to track down the Double Cluster, a perennial favourite, but the Moon-glow and haze had the final word.
No matter - we stayed, we laughed, and we had a brilliant time. A testament to our wonderful team of volunteers.
Huge thanks to Alec, Eddie, Mark, Richard, Ritesh, Stan, Tej, Tim, and Tony, who, along with myself, can check off another successful Blackheath observing event.
On to the next - 5th or 6th October. Who knows, we may even have a comet to chase in the early October skies!
Clear skies!
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